The Natural History of Selborne Gilbert White
This is a book of
observations and speculations on
Natural
History in and around the parish of Selborne in Hampshire,
written by a lifelong resident and clergyman of that parish.First
published in1788, it has become the 4th most published book in the
English language, fascinating generations of readers with his detailed
observations of the minutae of Life , from the precise colour of
a lark’s bill to the echo in the lane.
His gentle delight in, and love for, the countryside
around him can be shared today by anyone reading his work ; Selborne
was his world, the 300 foot high hill was a vast mountain, and he
spent his days in happy observations and
correspondence with his
friends, leaving his territory with reluctance. His journal of
observations and his correspondence with fellow Naturalists were
compiled to become the original book. His outlook and attitude still
entrance new readers, though his speculations on , for example, the
possibility of swallows hibernating instead of migrating have become
redundant. Some of the birds he mentions are no longer found in
England, his attitudes are of his times, but his work is still a
delight , and his parish may still be visited both as it was through
this book, and as it is today. Anyone who once got muddy catching frogs
or crickets as a child will understand the spirit of his endeavours and
envy his freedom to pursue his interests in adulthood , while sharing
vicariously in his discoveries and explorations. While
reading, you are transported to an idyll of peace and rural abundance.
He kept detailed records of yearly
arrivals and departures of migratory species and the hibernation of a
pet tortoise, was fascinated by the question of why cuckoos do
not incubate their own eggs, and how frost formed on
lowlying ground in still air.
The spirit of this work cannot be conveyed by a summary of its subject matter, read it and see.